MLB Rumors: Royals interested in Alex Rios

The Kansas City Royals are interested in Texas Rangers right fielder Alex Rios as a possible acquisition to their corner outfield, to hopefully fix the issues there, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Even though Alex Gordon has been a reliable hitter and fielder over in left field this season, the opposite side of the field, left field, has not been as successful as him. Nori Aoki, their Opening Day left fielder, has failed to produce the numbers he had for the Milwaukee Brewers this season, as he has hit .150/.292/.200 since coming off the disabled list on June 11th.

Heyman notes that the Royals have struggled offensively in general, and that Rios has a bat that might prove to be a quick-starter for a Kansas City lineup that ranks near the bottom in their league in many of the key offensive categories. Although Rios would be a great add, he is not the only corner outfield bat that may be available.

This season, Rios is hitting .302/.330/.435 with an OPS+ of 110. His bat is obviously an upgrade over the rest of the Royals’ options right now at the corner outfield sports, but the price for him might be too much. He makes $12 million and has a $13.5 million option with a $1 million buyouy. Rios also has a limited no-trade list of six teams to which he can block trades to.